X-Message-Number: 14682
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re:Identity - one for lawyers?
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 15:18:41 +0100

> Message #14668
> References: <>
> Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 21:04:14 +0200
> From: David Stodolsky <>
> Subject: Re: Identity
(del)
> >I was disappointed that no one in the recent flurry of
> >identity posts defended this very point of view!  I for one
> >certainly argue that my duplicate and I are indeed the same
> >person, even if we are sitting across from one another
> >having a chat!
(del)
> In the above case, cellular identity remains the same, bodily
> identity is separated at the moment of duplication, the "self"
> diverges more and more, and reputational identity - this looks like a
> job for the lawyers.
>

Maybe lawyers have already shown how well they would deal with it. Isn't a
marriage creating a legal identity of husband+wife? Divorce splits it on the
basis of trying as near as possible to put the two parties in the same
position had the marriage not broken up, vis-a-vis children, finances, home
and so on. Of course this is impossible, yet they and their legislator
masters still try and do it instead of the more obvious alternative of "put
the parties in the same state they would have been if the marriage had not
taken place."

Now the only way the replicated individual could be put in the same state
had the replication not taken place is to re-merge, which doesn't seem to be
offered in any of the scenarios that have been discussed here, although
re-merging is often used in sci-fi plots.

Of course all this begs the issue as to whether a civilisation with the
technology capable of duplicating thinking people would have concerns over
such matters as physical property or custody of children, but nevertheless
it does show how lawyers may approach it.

Nevertheless, as interesting as these ideas may be, we are all reading this
list because whatever identity is, we want to preserve it. If it is an
illusion, then it is an illusion we want to preserve.

--
Sincerely, John de Rivaz
my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, music, Inventors'
report, an autobio and various other projects:
http://www.geocities.com/longevityrpt
http://www.autopsychoice.com - should you be able to chose autopsy?

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